The Department of Social Policy & Social Work at the University of Malta exprfessed its serious concerns with regard to the proposed Bill, An Act to Amend the Social Work Profession Act, Cap 468, particularly Article 3, which proposes that the mandatory two year service that new social workers carry out to obtain the warrant to practise, be carried out solely in Government agencies.

"We have always fully supported the requirement of two years of supervised practice as a condition for obtaining the warrant. This system has worked well since June 2004 when the law first came into effect. What we object to is the proposal that these two years can only take place in a Government agency and not in Non-Governmental Organisations or private agencies.

"A welfare sector that truly responds to different individuals’ needs and choices requires a broad range of service providers, amongst which the NGOs play an essential role. This measure proposed in Article 3 would dry up the supply of newly graduated social workers to NGOs because they would not be able to obtain a warrant if they take up employment in an NGO, even if they go on to practise in that NGO for a number of years.

As educators we are also concerned about possible repercussions that this might have on the availability of sufficient and diverse practice learning experiences that are integral to the formation of professional social workers. Furthermore, such a decision would deny new graduates who actually want to work in NGOs the possibility of doing so, unless they are willing to sacrifice the acquisition of their warrant.

There are other aspects of the Bill that the Department of Social Policy & Social Work is concerned about and urges that the relative Parliamentary procedures be suspended until more consultation takes place with the profession. We look forward to the opportunity to contribute to this process.

The University Department joins social workers and NGOs in protesting about the amendments.